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Los Blancos: Just This Once

By Jim Santella
August 24, 2008
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A blues band that enjoys celebrating every night of the week, Los Blancos shines with the grit of Memphis, New Orleans, Austin, Chicago, and everywhere else that good music puts a smile on your face. Containing obvious elements of mainstream jazz, roots blues, backyard zydeco, open wide Tex-Mex and genuine soul, the band puts a strong front on Just This Once. Having worked together for about a dozen years, they jell seamlessly and prove that nobody has to be pigeonholed in order to be successful.

"Changes" represents straight-ahead jazz with upright bass, guitar, piano and swirling wire brushes behind a vocal that convinces. "Memphis Woman and Chicken" goes for the low moan of blues with its double entendre and a whopping good time. "Bisquit Roller" digs deep into southern roots where slide guitar and poignant stories have made their mark for generations. "Backbeat Rhythm" features the adventurous accordion tinctures found in Zydeco, while "Again It Was You" slows it all down with a distinctive New Orleans ramble. All these differences, and what keeps it all tied together is the blues. Most of the material is original, and all of it makes things clear: good music can be fun. Art and entertainment need not feel like strange bedfellows when bands such as Los Blancos get on board.

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Personnel

Los Blancos

Mark Nanni: vocals, piano, organ, accordion; Steven T. Winston: vocals, bass; Mark Tiffault: drums, percussion; Colin Aberdeen: vocals, guitars.

Album information

Title: Just This Once | Year Released: 2008 | Record Label: Casablancos Records

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